Dear Friends,

We are closing a most ambitious year at Studio Connections, and I want to THANK YOU for all of your support. Admittedly, these challenging economic times have been tough on us. As we humbly manage day-to-day operations, we want to keep scholarships available for qualified families, keep our theater ticket prices affordable, and find a dedicated space we can call home.

Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to Studio Connections. I believe there is no better time to lift up the arts. I’m confident that with a little help from everyone we can continue our great work.

You can also support us by sponsoring or underwriting one of our productions, making yourself available as a volunteer, or helping us find qualified Board members. It is a beautiful challenge and well worth the effort as we strive to impact our community with meaningful theater productions and quality arts education for youth.

More information on our programs can be found on this website or by contacting us.  Donations can be made through Help The Studio link on right.

Thank you for all you do and I wish you a joyous holiday season!

Peace,
Robert

Studio Connections, in association with Jim Click Automotive Group, is very happy to announce we are part of a city-wide raffle, all benefiting local non-profit organizations. 

The best part is that Studio Connections will get 100% of your donation

To purchase tickets, please call our info line, at 520-329-3707

You may also purchase tickets at any of our upcoming theatrical productions.

The daVinci Players of Studio Connections present FAT PIG, by Neil Labute

November 11-27, 2011 at St. Francis in the Foothills, 4625 E. River Road, Tucson, AZ 85718

Described by New York Magazine as “arguably the most provocative and polarizing playwright at work today,” Labute delivers a brutally honest commentary on our cultural obsession with physical appearance and self image.

When Tom falls for plus-sized Helen, he confronts the reality of a taunting circle of influence and must decide how far he must go to defend his only meaningful relationship.

Featuring:
Jacinda Swinehart-Johnson as Helen
Alex Samaniego as Tom
Jonathan Northover as Carter
Shanna Brock as Jeannie

Directed by Robert Encila

Performance Dates:
November 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26 at 7:30 PM
November 13, 20, 27 at 2:00 PM

General admission: $20
Student/Senior/Military: $18

For tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com, or call 1-800-838-3006

Studio Connections is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing excellence in visual and performing arts education fostering leadership, artistic voice, and peaceful community building. We serve the needs of children, youth, and adults in a safe, nurturing, and collaborative environment.

For information, contact Sue Bishop at info@studioconnections.net or at 520-329-3707.

With summer monsoons on their way out, we’re primed to welcome a lovely fall season at the studio. Of course, we were hardly impacted by the weather as DEAD MAN’s CELL PHONE, our recent collaborative theatre project with Chicken Lipps Productions, opened and closed to full houses. Rehearsals for CHICAGO, the Musical, have gone well and neither heat nor thunderstorm has kept us from showing up to dance and music rehearsals.

We recently featured a stage reading of a brand new play by Toni Press-Coffman (UNITED), followed by an insightful discussion with the playwright and director about the themes of 9/11, on which the play is based. We started art and drama classes, while plans for a holiday fundraising concert are underway. Make sure to visit the website from time to time to check out updates on various events. For sure, get your tickets now to CHICAGO, which opens at the ZUZI! Theatre on October 7. There are only eight performances, so tickets will go fast. To reserve tickets, go to www.brownpapertickets.com, or call 520-329-3707.

Keep an eye out for auditions for Arthur Miller’s A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE and Flaherty and Ahren’s musical, A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE. We will post the dates soon enough.

Finally, if you are interested in volunteering for Studio Connections in any capacity, please email us at info@studioconnections.net. We always appreciate help in every department, from stage hands to ushers and carpenters. It’s a great way to see a play for free!

The da Vinci Players of Studio Connections present

the six-time Tony Award-winning Musical

October 7 through October 15, 2011, at ZUZI!

Join us for this musical tale of “murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery – all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.” Paint the town red with merry murderesses, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, their hotshot lawyer, Billy Flynn, and the iconic choreography of Bob Fosse.

Featuring…Chezale Rodriquez, Rachel Santay, Justin Moore, Eddie Diaz, and Ida Rhem.

Directed by Robert Encila

Choreographed by La Tosha Evans-Maynard
Musical Direction by Harriet Siskin

Performance Dates are

October 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 at 7:30 pm

October 8, 9, 15 at 3 pm

Tickets are $28 and $25.

Reservations are available by clicking the Brown Paper Tickets image below, or by calling 800-838-3006.

Studio Connections is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing excellence in visual and performing arts education fostering leadership, artistic voice, and peaceful community building. We serve the needs of children, youth, and adults in a safe, nurturing, and collaborative environment.

All art classes are creative, high-level thinking experiences.
Classes are fun and supportive of each artist as they advance
their skills in both 2D and 3D media.

Private instruction is also available on short-term or on-going basis.

Pre-Register by using the form at the bottom of the page or call 520-329-3707.

VISUAL ART EVENTS SEMESTER II

Wednesday Workshops
January 11, 18, 25 2012
4:00-5:30 pm
These classes are open to all first semester students and NEW students
who want to participate in the February art show.
Tuition: $75.  All materials included.

February 1, 2012 Art Show Reception
5:30-6:30 pm
St. Francis in the Foothills

February 8, 15, 22
4:00-5:30 pm
This class will help individual students participate in the GLOBAL ART PROJECT.
Students will create an artwork to share with someone from another place on earth…and in return receive an artwork from their partner.
Join with thousands of participants from all over the world.
Tuition: $75.

Family Global Art Project Event
March 7, 14, 21
4:30-6:00 pm

Sign up for one of the dates.
We will be creating a community artwork to share with our Global Art partners!
Tuition: $10 per individual
$20. per family of four

Coming April 11, 18, 25 … Adult drawing class.  Refresh your Creativity!

Coming in June … Fine Arts Camp with the theme, Transformations!

Please contact us if you are interested in scholarship opportunities.

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Studio Connections is proud to offer theater classes for adults! Space is limited and we are offering an introductory rate for this class only.

“Acting Scene Study” 8-week class with Doug Mitchell.

Sept. 7 – Oct. 26 (please note: the class on 9/28 will meet on Monday 9/26 due to the observance of Rosh Hashanah).

Fee: $240

Ages 18 and up. Limited to 10 students.

The acting class will be an intensive eight-week course of discovery, including improvisation, theater exercises and scene study, covering everything from the basics of acting, (choosing an objective, establishing relationships, determining conflict) through the process of rehearsal; finding the character within oneself and making final choices. Much emphasis will be placed on how to suspend one’s own ego and learn to take direction thereby establishing a working, creative relationship with the director and the cast. Students will be required to commit to the whole course as well as to added rehearsal time with their partners during the week. Classes will be limited to contemporary scenes.

Doug Mitchell has been teaching acting for 30 of his almost 50 years in the business. He has taught classes and private lessons in New York City, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Ashland, Oregon, and was fortunate to study with the great stage actress Uta Hagen and with William Hickey at the famous HB Studios in New York. He continues to use and teach Hagen’s method of acting; drawing the character from within yourself and your experiences. He has appeared on national television, film and in over 250 theater productions throughout the country. Tucson critics have called Mitchell a “must see,” and “an impressive talent that is reason alone” to see a show. The Tucson Weekly referred to him as a “talented and skilled pro,” and in 2010, Kathleen Allen rated him “one of the (5) must see actors in Tucson.” His students work throughout the United States and several currently have TV and commercial careers in Hollywood and New York.

Please contact us or call 520-329-3707 for more information or to register.

You may also use the form below to register.

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After registering for the class, you can pay online via this PayPal link, or you can pay for the class in person at the start of the first class.

Want to get involved? Help Studio Connections further the arts in Southern Arizona by making a tax-deductible contribution.

Greetings from the Studio! This summer found some of us embracing the heat as we made a collective effort to organize our space and prepare for a new season. We have a newly painted office, and finally boxes are emptied of myriad items that are now put away in appropriate spots. Costumes are out of bins and hung in our new trailer designated for theater wardrobe. Ginny gets a new dedicated teaching space in room 50, and suddenly it feels like we’re finally moved in. This transition year has been both challenging and satisfying.

Several items are in the books and it pays to take heed. First thing on the fall agenda is a lovely play by Sarah Ruhl, DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE, directed by the talented Laura Lippman, who is back from teaching and touring with students in Greece. Sharing the first weekend of that production (September 4) is a stage reading of a brand new play by local playwright Toni Press-Coffman, directed by Christopher Johnson of Live Theatre Workshop. The title of the play is UNITED, based on Toni’s research of United Airline Flight 93, in honor of the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. True to our mission, we are making strides in collaborating with some of the best artists in Tucson. Please check out the home page for more info. We do hope to see you in the house!

Also coming up is CHICAGO, the musical, which opens our 2011-12 season. Get your tickets soon and join us at the ZUZI Theatre for a dazzling display of local musical theatre talent. The rest of the season is something we’re all very excited about. Mark your calendars and support this growing theatre company.

Classes in drama and visual art are now posted online. We try our best to keep classes small, so please sign up early to keep your spot. Ginny has also added an adult art class–make sure to check that out also if you’re interested in developing your “visual voice” and working with a fine, master teacher. We’ve also added to our lineup of teachers the incomparable Doug Mitchell, who is teaching an eight-week acting class. Doug’s pedigree is quite impressive and it would be a treat for actors of any ability to work with him.

Stay tuned for upcoming events because we’ll post them as dates and pertinent info are confirmed. You may look out for a Holiday Concert featuring some of Tucson’s best performers, or a brand new play by local playwright Tom DeMoss. Coffeehouse Jams are not defunct, but those dates are yet to be announced. Meanwhile, visit us periodically for news, and thank you so much for continuing to support Studio Connections. If you’d like to volunteer or advertise a product or service, you don’t have to go far. You’re already connected to the site!

Enjoy what’s left of the monsoon, and do stop by and pay us a visit.

Robert

Studio Connections in Collaboration  with Chicken Lipps Productions Presents

DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE
by Sarah Ruhl.

Directed by Laura Lippman.

An incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet cafe. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man– with a lot of loose ends. So begins Dead Man’s Cell Phone, the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world.

“A beguiling comedy….a hallucinatory poetic fantasy that blends the mundane and the metaphysical, the blunt and the obscure, the patently bizarre and the bizarrely moving. As Dead Man’s Cell Phone takes surprising twists and leaps, the lament for the supposed coziness of pre-digital culture takes on layers of nuance and contradiction.”
– The New York Times

with Carrie Hill, Avis Judd, Gabriel Nagy, Robert Anthony Peters,
Lisa Mae Roether, Martie van der Voort

Performances are:
September 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, at 7:30 pm
September 4, 11, 18 at 2 pm

** Pay What You Can Preview – Thursday, September 1 at 7:30 pm
** Opening Night Celebration – Friday, September 2 at 7:30 pm
**Pay What You Can Industry Night – Monday, September 12 at 7:30pm

Tickets: General $18  Seniors, Students $16

Opening Night performance…all tickets $18.00

THIS SHOW CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT AND LANGUAGE

Reservation Line: 520-400-1424
(ONLY CASH and CHECKS accepted at the door)

To charge tickets go to Brown Paper Tickets at brownpapertickets.com

For more information go to: www.sacredchickenproductions.com

United, a world premiere by Toni Press-Coffman.

Directed by Christopher Johnson.

A celebration of the lives of the passengers and crew of United Flight 93,
to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Discussion with the playwright following the reading.

Sunday, September 4, at 7:30 PM
St. Francis in the Foothills
4625 E. River Road
Tucson, AZ 85718

Admission: by donation. $10 suggested donation to benefit Studio Connections and Winding Road Theater Ensemble. Make reservations through windingroadtheater.org or buy tickets at the door.

Toni Press-Coffman has written 20 plays, which have been produced throughout the country, and has had work developed at the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, the Sundance Institute, Midwest Professional Playwrights Laboratory, and Minneapolis’ Playwrights Center.  She has taught playwrights at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as youth of all ages through a Tucson Pima Arts Council Residency and the Borderlands Theater’s Coyote y Culebra Project.  Through her work as the Literary Manager of Tucson’s Borderlands Theater, she has served as dramaturg for the plays of Elaine Romero, Kara Hartzler, Edit Villareal, Luis Alfaro, Anne Garcia Romero, Jennifer Barclay, and many others.